Guide · AI on WhatsApp · For the owner deciding how Meta's agent behaves
Switching Meta's AI agent off and on, words it must never say, and follow-ups: the settings an owner should know
Most of what Meta's AI agent says comes from what the business teaches it. A handful of settings decide the rest: words it must never use, whether it nudges customers who go quiet, how it hands over to a person, and what happens when it is switched off. Meta's developer pages set them out; this is what they mean for the owner.
Published 7 October 2026
The settings worth knowing
- Words it must never say
- A list of exact phrases. Meta says every reply is checked against it, and a reply that contains one is held back instead of sent.
- Following up when a customer goes quiet
- On or off, with a message the business writes, sent after the customer has been silent for 5, 15 or 30 minutes, or 1, 2, 8 or 24 hours.
- Handing over to a person
- The message the customer sees can be Meta's standard one, one the agent writes for each conversation, or the business's own, and the business decides whether the agent steps back once it has sent it.
- Who it answers
- Everyone, which is the default, or only a short test list. Meta says answering everyone needs a payment method on the agent account; the test list does not. The test list is covered in the testing guide.
Switching it off and back on
Meta says that switching the agent off makes it stop responding in every conversation, and that switching it back on makes it respond to new conversations only. Conversations that were open while it was off stay with the team.
Our reading
Whether a number qualifies
Meta offers a check that answers yes or no for a given number, with no reasons when the answer is no. It says the answer can change when a business updates its category or when its standing changes, so it should be checked again rather than remembered, and that a failed check is not the same as a no. When the agent is set up, the business's catalog can be linked at the same time. Which kinds of business Meta excludes are listed in the Meta Business Agent guide.
Removing it
Removing the agent from a number deletes its configuration there. Meta says that when the last agent on the account is removed, the connection to the agent is closed as well. What the agent was taught and how it was set up go with it, so our reading is to keep a copy of the business details, FAQs and settings first. What to give the agent to learn from is in the knowledge guide, and trying it on a short list of customers before everyone in the testing guide.
Questions
Can we stop the agent saying certain things?
Yes. Meta lets the business list exact phrases the agent must never use; a reply containing one is held back. Our reading: a discontinued offer's name or a promise you cannot keep, such as a delivery time, are good candidates.
If we switch the agent off, does it finish the chats it started?
No. Meta says it stops responding in every conversation once it is switched off, and only takes new conversations when it is switched back on.
Can the agent chase a customer who stopped replying?
Yes, if follow-up is switched on. The business writes the message and picks the wait: 5, 15 or 30 minutes, or 1, 2, 8 or 24 hours of silence.
Meta says our number is not eligible. Why?
Meta's check gives no reasons. It says eligibility can change when a business updates its category or its standing changes, and that an error in the check is not a no. Check the excluded business types in the Meta Business Agent guide first.
Sources
- Meta's developer documentation: Meta Business Agent Agent Settings, read 7 October 2026.
- Meta's developer documentation: Meta Business Agent Agent Eligibility, read 7 October 2026.
- Meta's developer documentation: Meta Business Agent Agent Onboarding, read 7 October 2026.
- Meta's developer documentation: Meta Business Agent Delete Agent, read 7 October 2026.
More plain-language notes like this one are on the guides page.
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